Russian likes to eat road kill, New Zealand court told

A Russian immigrant to New Zealand accused of taking a dead seal from a beach had an unusual diet and often ate road kill, a court was told, according to a news report on Friday, DPA reported.

Platon Malakhov, 32, pleaded guilty to possessing a sealskin - an offence under the Marine Mammals Protection Act - when he appeared in Westport District Court on Thursday.

His attorney, Doug Taffs, said Malakhov, had an "unusual dietary issue" and often got his "meat and fat" from picking up road kill - animals such as possums often killed by cars at night on New Zealand highways.

Malakhov took the dead seal home after finding it on the beach near the South Island town of Westport last month, but found it inedible because the fat content made it too rich, Taffs said.

Judge Noel Walsh let off Malakhov, who has been a New Zealand citizen for 12 years, with no penalty, saying he had been peaceful and law-abiding and simply did not understand New Zealand laws.

He imposed a suspended sentence on another charge of possessing 57 cannabis plants, which police found at Malakhov's home, and ordered him to pay 300 New Zealand dollars (220 US dollars) court costs.